After a year away from the team, free agent running back Ezekiel Elliott is back where he started after agreeing to a contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

Todd Archer of ESPN reported Elliott agreed to a one-year contract worth up to $3 million. Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the deal is complete, pending a physical.

While he didn't confirm the news, Elliott used an emoji in a cryptic post on Monday:

He later added:

Elliott, who turns 29 in July, finished with 642 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 184 carries (career-low 3.5 YPC) in 2023 for the New England Patriots. He also added 51 receptions for 313 yards and two more scores.

He began the season as Rhamondre Stevenson's backup but took over RB1 duties in December after the Week 1 starter suffered a season-ending high ankle sprain and missed his team's final five games.

Elliott became a workhorse down the stretch with 99 touches in five starts. He turned those opportunities into 372 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns.

This wasn't a good year for Elliott from an efficiency standpoint, but he did play all 17 games and served as the team's top offensive producer in a year where the Patriots didn't have many people to rely on either due to injury or ineffectiveness.

The nine-year NFL veteran's best days have likely passed him by on the football field, but he's enjoyed an impressive career nonetheless.

The three-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro led the league in rushing yards on two occasions (2016 and 2018) during his seven-year tenure with the Dallas Cowboys, who selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft out of Ohio State.

He amassed a career-high 16 touchdowns (1,994 yards from scrimmage) in his first year and compiled a career-high 2,001 total yards (nine scores) in his third season.

Elliott enjoyed running behind one of the league's best offensive lines during his time in Dallas (2016-2022), but he was good in his own right. In his seven seasons in Dallas, Elliott posted a per-17-game average of 1,749 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference.

Now he'll continue his career with Dallas, where he once starred.

This reunion isn't a surprise. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported in late March that Dallas and Elliott were interested in a return. Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones also discussed the possibility of Elliott signing on Friday during the NFL draft.

"I know this, I saw as recent as the end of the year, I saw Zeke play," Jones said. "And I will tell you he's good enough to be a starter."

While Elliott hasn't been as explosive or efficient as he once was, he's still durable, reliable and capable of rushing and receiving out of the backfield. From an individual standpoint, Elliott can also become just the 32nd-ever player to rush for 10,000 career yards (he has 8,904 at the moment).

With Tony Pollard leaving Dallas for the Tennessee Titans in free agency, the door is open for a new starting running back. Perhaps Elliott can reclaim his old throne, although the team still has reigning RB2 Rico Dowdle as well.